151st Kentucky Derby Betting Online
The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, May 3, 2025 with Journalism the early favorite and one of only two horses with shorter than 10/1 odds. As we get closer to post time the 20-horse field will be set and odds will become firm. Journalism won three consecutive races ahead of his final prep run at the Santa Anita Derby, which will be his first G1 race. The colt triumphed at the G2 Los Alamitos Futurity in December and again in the San Felipe in early March. Other top contenders to capture the Run for the Roses include Sandman, Citizen Bull and Tiztastic. Sandman climbed the board after an impressive 2 ½ length victory in the G1 Arkansas Derby. Tiztastic won for the first time in five starts at the G2 Louisiana Derby last month for his third career triumph. The favorites will get plenty of attention in the Kentucky Derby odds, but remember that the closing Kentucky Derby betting favorite has not won the blanket of roses since Justify in 2018. He also went on to win the last Triple Crown that year.
Post time for the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 3 on NBC is 6:45 p.m. ET.
Horse Racing Betting Lines
2025 Kentucky Derby At a Glance
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2025, 6:45 PM ET
Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
Length: 1 1/4 miles ( 10 furlongs ), dirt track
Purse: $5 million
Kentucky Derby TV Coverage: NBC
Odds to win 2025 Kentucky Derby
The first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown takes place on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs with the running of the 151st Kentucky Derby. Odds are fluid up until post time and no horse has distinguished himself in the road to the Kentucky Derby. On the strength of three straight wins Journalism has separated from the field emerging as the early favorite. However, the Michael McCarthy trained colt has yet to run a G1 race and hasn’t competed outside the state of California. Sovereignty should get a lot of action based on recent form. He edged Tiztastic and Sandman to win the G3 Street Sense last October and finished a strong second in his first G1 run at the Florida Derby in late March. There are talented horses in the field but each of them has flaws and none appear that much stronger making this an interesting race.
Kentucky Derby Format
A series of prep races known as the road to the Kentucky Derby are run in advance of the Derby to help determine the field of 20. Horses that earn the most points in the preps are invited with a chance at horse racing glory. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown, which includes the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, the last being Justify in 2018. The race takes place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY and is known as “The Run for the Roses” since the winning horse is draped in a blanket of roses. The race is run over 10 furlongs or 1 ¼ miles on a dirt track. In 2024 the Kentucky Derby featured a record $5.1 million prize purse with $3.1 million going to the winner.
Kentucky Derby Winners (2000)
| YEAR |
WINNER |
JOCKEY |
TRAINER |
TIME |
| 2024 |
Mystik Dan |
Brian Hernandez Jr. |
Kenny McPeek |
2:03.34 |
| 2023 |
Mage |
Javier Castellano |
Gustavo Delgado |
2:01:57 |
| 2022 |
Rich Strike |
Sonny Leon |
Eric Reed |
2:02.61 |
| 2021 |
Mandaloun |
Florent Geroux |
Brad Cox |
2:01.36 |
| 2020 |
Authentic |
John Velazquez |
Bob Baffert |
2:00.61 |
| 2019 |
Country House |
Flavien Prat |
Bill Mott |
2:03.93 |
| 2018 |
Justify |
Mike Smith |
Bob Baffert |
2:04.20 |
| 2017 |
Always Dreaming |
John Velazquez |
Todd Pletcher |
2:03.59 |
| 2016 |
Nyquist |
Mario Gutierrez |
Doug O'Neill |
2:01.31 |
| 2015 |
American Pharoah |
Victor Espinoza |
Bob Baffert |
2:03.02 |
| 2014 |
California Chrome |
Victor Espinoza |
Art Sherman |
2:03.66 |
| 2013 |
Orb |
Joel Rosario |
Shug McGaughey |
2:02.89 |
| 2012 |
I'll Have Another |
Mario Gutierrez |
Doug O'Neill |
2:01.83 |
| 2011 |
Animal Kingdom |
John Velazquez |
Graham Motion |
2:02.04 |
| 2010 |
Super Saver |
Calvin Borel |
Todd Pletcher |
2:04.45 |
| 2009 |
Mine That Bird |
Calvin Borel |
Bennie Woolley Jr. |
2:02.66 |
| 2008 |
Big Brown |
Kent Desormeaux |
Richard Dutrow |
2:01.82 |
| 2007 |
Street Sense |
Calvin Borel |
Carl Nafzger |
2:02.17 |
| 2006 |
Barbaro |
Edgar Prado |
Michael Matz |
2:01.36 |
| 2005 |
Giacomo |
Mike Smith |
John Shirreffs |
2:02.75 |
| 2004 |
Smarty Jones |
Stewart Elliott |
John Servis |
2:04.06 |
| 2003 |
Funny Cide |
Jose Santos |
Barclay Tagg |
2:01.19 |
| 2002 |
War Emblem |
Victor Espinoza |
Bob Baffert |
2:01.13 |
| 2001 |
Monarchos |
Jorge Chavez |
John Ward Jr. |
1:59.97 |
| 2000 |
Fusaichi Pegasus |
Kent Desormeaux |
Neil Drysdale |
2:01.00 |
It was another upset in the Kentucky Derby in 2024 with Mystik Dan winning at odds of 18-1. Longshots have done well recently in the Derby, with Rich Strike winning at big odds in 2022, Madaloun as a big longshot in 2021, Authentic in 2020 and Country House in 2019. The last favorite to win the Derby was Justify in 2018.
Fastest Times
| YEAR |
HORSE |
TIME |
| 1973 |
Secretariat |
1:59.40 |
| 2001 |
Monarchos |
1:59.97 |
| 1964 |
Northern Dancer |
2:00.00 |
| 1985 |
Spend A Buck |
2:00.20 |
| 1962 |
Decidedly |
2:00.40 |
Running the Kentucky Derby in anything less than 2:01 is considered blazing fast. Secretariat has held the track record for nearly 50 years, running the 1973 Kentucky Debry in 1:59.40, and he is one of two horses to finish the race in under two minutes.
Longest Odds To Win
| YEAR |
HORSE |
TIME |
| 1913 |
Donerail |
91.45 |
| 2022 |
Rich Strike |
80 |
| 2005 |
Giacomo |
50.30 |
| 2010 |
Super Saver |
50 |
| 1940 |
Gallahadion |
35.20 |
| 1999 |
Charismatic |
31.30 |
Donerail had the longest odds of any horse that went on to win the Kentucky Derby, but Rich Strike gave him a run for his money in 2022. No one gave Rich Strike a chance to win the Run for the Roses as jockey Sonny Leon had not even won a graded stakes race prior to his triumph. Additionally, Rich Strike was a late entrant and only made the field after Ethereal Road was scratched the day before the race. He started from the 20th post but went on to run one of the greatest races in the history of horse racing, picking his way through 14 horses in the last half-mile to beat Epicenter by ¾ of a length to win the Kentucky Derby.
Most Jockey Wins
| JOCKEY |
WINS |
YEARS WON |
| Eddie Arcaro |
5 |
1938, 1941, 1945, 1948, 1952 |
| Bill Hartack |
5 |
1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1969 |
| Bill Shoemaker |
4 |
1955, 1959, 1965, 1986 |
| Angel Cordero Jr. |
3 |
1974, 1976, 1985 |
| Calvin Borel |
3 |
2007, 2009, 2010 |
| Earl Sande |
3 |
1923, 1925, 1930 |
| Gary Stevens |
3 |
1988, 1995, 1997 |
| Isaac Murphy |
3 |
1894, 1890, 1891 |
| Kent Desormeaux |
3 |
1998, 2000, 2008 |
| Victor Espinoza |
3 |
2002, 2014, 2015 |
| John Velazquez |
3 |
2011, 2017, 2020 |
It's becoming tougher and tougher for modern jockeys to have success in a race like this one, but there are a few who really stand out. Calvin Borel has made a living out of winning the Kentucky Derby with late-charging horses who love running on the rail. Victor Espinoza won consecutive Derbies in 2014 and 2015 with California Chrome and American Pharoah. John Velazquez won three Kentucky Derby titles from 2011 to 2020.
Most Trainer Wins
| TRAINER |
WINS |
YEARS WON |
| Ben Jones |
6 |
1938, 1941, 1944, 1948, 1949, 1952 |
| Bob Baffert |
6 |
1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020 |
| D. Wayne Lukas |
4 |
1988, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| Herbert Thompson |
4 |
1921, 1926, 1932, 1933 |
If you thought it was tough to try to figure out which jockey was going to win the Kentucky Derby year in and year out, picking the trainer is even harder. Of this list of four men who have won the Run for the Roses at least four times, only one is relatively modern in Bob Baffert. He has trained three recent winners with American Pharoah in 2015, Justify in 2018, and Authentic in 2020. Baffert could be back at Churchill Downs in 2025 following the end of a three-year suspension.
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